


Dust to Dreams

by ChameleonCircuit



Category: Chicago Med
Genre: Fake Dating, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Rhodestead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChameleonCircuit/pseuds/ChameleonCircuit
Summary: He knew he looked fine. That wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t even the fact that he was about to enter a room full of people who looked down their noses at him from atop their piles of money, or the fact that he had to sit through a dinner with them and make small talk, knowing he would be judged on every answer. It wasn’t even the fact that he would be entering that hall as Connor’s boyfriend, that be would be meeting Cornelius Rhodes as his son’s boyfriend.It was the fact that it was a lie, a fake relationship to shut Connor’s dad up, that had Will’s stomach in knots, and Connor’s hand resting on his back as though it belonged there, like they’d done this many times before, had his heart threatening to leap out of his chest.





	Dust to Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barbaesparza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbaesparza/gifts).

> Written for a tumblr prompt  
https://sofuckingchuffed.tumblr.com/post/186734300157/this-is-an-unhelpful-af-prompt-but-rhodestead

Will straightened his tie for the nth time before rolling his shoulders. His suit felt too stiff, too tight, too stifling, but he knew that had nothing to do with his suit and everything to do with the nerves that were flipping his stomach in a nauseating fashion. He rubbed at his eyes with shaky hands before swiping his sweaty palms down his pants.

“You look fine,” Connor hissed from beside him as he placed a hand on his lower back.

He knew he looked fine. That wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t even the fact that he was about to enter a room full of people who looked down their noses at him from atop their piles of money, or the fact that he had to sit through a dinner with them and make small talk, knowing he would be judged on every answer. It wasn’t even the fact that he would be entering that hall as Connor’s boyfriend, that be would be meeting Cornelius Rhodes as his son’s boyfriend.

It was the fact that it was a lie, a fake relationship to shut Connor’s dad up, that had Will’s stomach in knots, and Connor’s hand resting on his back as though it belonged there, like they’d done this many times before, had his heart threatening to leap out of his chest.

Still, he shot Connor a smile, heart stuttering when Connor smiled back, eyes soft and sparkling and grateful, so grateful.

“You ready?”

The answer was no, but Will nodded anyway, allowing Connor to guide him into the hall proper and towards their seat.

“Sorry we’re late,” Connor said quietly to his father as they took their seats. “My fault entirely.”

Cornelius studied Will for a moment, his expression hard to read, before turning to Connor with the fakest smile Will had ever seen. “You brought a friend.”

“Boyfriend,” Connor corrected instantly, and Will hated the way that ignited a warmth in his chest that was quickly doused by reality.

“Will Halstead,” he said with a smile, extending his hand.

After a drawn-out pause, Will’s hand trembling mid-air, Cornelius snorted, returning back to his meal, leaving Will’s hand to fall to the table.

“What’s wrong with you, then?” Cornelius asked, not even glancing back up with his question.

“Excuse me?” Will asked, just a hint of indignation in his voice.

He flinched as Connor took his hand on top of the table, but he couldn’t resist the urge to curl his hand around Connor’s in response, letting the contact warm him up even though it made the ache in his chest more pronounced.

“Ignore him,” Connor said mildly. “He’s just testing you.”

“My son likes to fix broken things,” Cornelius said, finally looking at them again, gaze raking over their joined hands before settling on Will’s face. “He is a surgeon, after all.”

Connor's grip tightened, his whole body tensing up beside him, but he didn't look ready to fight like he normally would. He looked almost resigned, almost small, and it made Will's protective side rear up.

“So, he collects broken things, broken people,” Cornelius continued with a smile, as though this was normal conversation and not intended to hurt anyone, “and he fixes them, then grows bored of them when there’s nothing left to fix.”

Will felt a flash of anger, not at the assumption of his own character, but at the assumption of Connor’s. He let go of Connor’s hand, palms flat against the table as he leaned in. “If you really think—“

“Come on,” Connor cut him off quietly as he stood, holding his hand out for Will to take again. “You don't need to listen to this.”

Will glared at Cornelius for a moment longer, but he knew causing a scene would gain him no favours, and he wasn’t entirely sure Connor would appreciate him fighting his battles for him, something he’d learned that the hard way with Natalie, so he took Connor’s hand, standing with him, blood still boiling, heart still pounding.

“It was lovely to meet you, Bill,” Cornelius said with a self-satisfied smirk, and Will had to force down the sudden overwhelming urge to punch him.

Once they were outside, his rage boiled over, and he turned to Connor, still gripping his hand tight.

“Does he always speak to you like that?” Will demanded, voice just a little too loud.

Connor shrugged, pulling his hand out of Will’s. “Not always.”

“And what was I? Some sort of buffer? A way to get a rise out of him?”

“No, Will—“

“Because I thought I was there to get him to stop asking if you’d found someone. I thought I was doing you a favour.”

“You were,” Connor insisted, his voice gentle and quiet, a stark contrast to Will’s raised tones.

“That was— what even was that?”

He didn’t quite know how to put into words how absolutely wrong that was, that his anger wasn’t about the way Cornelius spoke to him or attempted to make him feel small, it was about the way he spoke to Connor, the way he spoke to his own son, as though he had him all figured out when he clearly knew nothing about him.

“A mistake,” Connor said quietly, taking a step backward.

Those words were like a slap in the face, a snap back to reality, because this had not only been a farce, but a mistake as well, and every little thing Will felt for Connor was confirmed to be absolutely pointless.

“At least I know where we stand,” he bit out before turning to walk away, b ut Connor caught him by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

“The mistake,” Connor started slowly, moving back into Will’s line of sight, “was asking you to come here to piss off my dad when I should have been asking you out on a real date, just us.”

Will froze, eyes widening. He didn’t dare believe that Connor might be saying what he wanted him to be saying, despite the fact that there wasn’t really any other way to interpret that.

“If that’s...something you might want?” Connor added, cheeks tinging pink as his smile slipped a little.

“Yes,” Will breathed out, breaking out in a smile of his own. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Yes,” Will repeated with a laugh, taking Connor’s hand in his again, this time far softer.

“The night’s still young,” Connor said, a twinkle in his eye. “Let me take you somewhere nice for dinner."

Will hummed softly, enjoying the way Connor leaned into his side as they walked. “How about we get burgers and go back to mine.”

“Deal," Connor said with a laugh.

When Will looked down, Connor was grinning up at him, and his heart threatened to burst with affection. All that time longing for something he thought he couldn’t have when he could have just asked from the beginning felt stupid, but he was glad they were here now, glad Connor had the courage he didn’t, glad he got to hold Connor's hand and know that it meant something, know that it was real.


End file.
